The present invention relates to an improvement in the manner in which construction fabric is applied beneath road beds and other similar construction projects during the initial stages of construction. More specifically, to an apparatus that has been purposely designed to deploy construction fabric in these projects in a highly effective manner that can be accomplished by one person.
The use of fabrics in the construction of roads, airport runways, lagoons, landfills, and all other similar construction projects has become very common in recent years and is in some cases mandated by law. These construction fabrics commonly come in two different types. The first of these is referred to as stabilization fabric and the second is referred to as a non-permeable linear membrane both of which are composed of strands of polyester or nylon that have been woven together to form large ribbons of the stabilization fabric. The ribbons of the fabric are then rolled on to cylindrical cores to form large rolls which are convenient both for storage and for the application of the stabilization fabric at a job site.
The stabilization fabric is commonly employed in the construction of roadways, airport runways, and other similar structures. In the construction of these structures, the stabilization fabric is positioned between the underlying earth and a layer of course aggregate that is commonly used to for a roadbed or runway bed. The use of the stabilization fabric operates to distribute the downward forces of the roadway and the traffic it carries in a more lateral fashion and thereby, over a wider area. This method of construction results in a stronger structure that lasts longer and requires less maintenance over its lifetime.
In the case of the construction of lagoons and landfills, their lining with the non-permeable linear membrane prevents the contents of these structures from leaching and entering the ground water. This is critical for the proper operation of these structures as they often contain pollutants that can cause long term damage that can take years to clean up, if possible at all, and cost millions of dollars. In either case, these construction fabrics are stored and deployed in the same manner and for purposes of simplicity the following description will focus solely on the manner by which the present invention is used to deploy stabilization fabric.
There are some problems associated with the use of stabilization fabric in the construction of these structures, most of which stem from the methods and devices employed to deploy and position it properly. In the past, the application of the fabric at the job site was accomplished in one of two ways. The first of these was simply to do it by hand. To accomplish this, a number of construction workers would manually lift a roll of the stabilization fabric and place it in the desired location with the tongue, or the lose end of the fabric in relation to the roll, positioned over the ground. Once this has been accomplished, the construction workers deployed the fabric by unrolling the fabric roll over the desired section of ground. There are many problems associated with the application of the stabilization fabric by hand not the least of which is the fabric rolls are large and heavy making them difficult to position correctly and requires a relatively large number of workers to accomplish. Additionally, the stabilization fabric is the most effective when it is laid out in a taut manner limiting the amount of wrinkles and creases formed in it during the process. This is very difficult to accomplish by hand as it requires that a good deal of tension be placed on the fabric as it is deployed over the ground. Finally, the presence of wind can also be a problem when deploying the stabilization fabric as it tends to get underneath the fabric and move it from the desired location. This is especially problematic when deploying the fabric by hand as there is no mechanism or method by which to deal with this circumstance and the rolls are too heavy to allow for their manipulation by hand.
The second method commonly employed to deploy stabilization fabric at a job site is the use of machinery to handle and control the fabric rolls during construction. This is most commonly accomplished by the use of an apparatus that has been designed to grasp a fabric roll on either end in a manner that allows it to freely rotate. This allows the fabric to be unwound from the fabric roll so that it can be deployed at the job site. These apparatuses also have the added advantage of being capable of moving the large fabric rolls around the job site thereby lessening the amount of construction workers otherwise required to perform these tasks.
While the use of these apparatuses has both improved the efficiency of employing stabilization fabric and made it significantly easier, problems still exist. These problems are generally the same as some of the ones described for the hand deployed method above. Wind can still get under the fabric as it is being deployed and cause it to be displaced in a manner that interferes with its proper operation. Additionally, wrinkles and creases can also form in the deployed stabilization fabric because these apparatuses do not provide a mechanism by which the proper amount of tension can be placed on the fabric during deployment. Thus, the use of these apparatuses does not eliminate the need for employing multiple workers to complete this task as there is no mechanism that adequately eliminates the wrinkles and creases from the stabilization fabric. This is important to the longevity of the structure being built as the wrinkles and creases can and often do result in damage to the stabilization fabric which limits its effectiveness in performing the job for which it was designed and installed.
Therefore, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide an apparatus for the deployment of stabilization fabric under road beds and other similar structures in a manner that requires only one worker to complete in a timely and effective manner. Additionally, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide an apparatus for the deployment of stabilization fabric in a manner that would be entirely unaffected by the presence of wind. Finally, it can also be seen that it would be desirable to provide such an apparatus that contains a mechanism which places a large degree of tension on the fabric during its deployment which effectively eliminates the formation of wrinkles and creases in it which in turn enhances the effectiveness of the fabric while increasing its life span.